Pickled eggs are popular through the British Isles and on through
Central and Eastern Europe. They'd be essential for a Pub themed party.
Back in the 1970s, many working men's bars here in Southern California had
a big jar of pickled eggs. I haven't seen that for many years, but I
haven't been in a lot of working men's bars in recent times, so some may
still have them. For some popular variations, see
Note-6.

Pierce EGGS if desired (Note-1) and place
a roomy pan. One layer is best, but two will be OK. Fill with cold
water to about 3/4 inch over the eggs.

Bring Eggs to a boil over high heat. Give them about 45
seconds, then turn off the heat. Let them sit for about 15 minutes.

Peel the shells from Eggs. Important: peel
them hot. After 15 minutes, the temperature will still be around
190°F/88°C. If it gets cool enough so you can hold your
fingers in it, you will start to have trouble peeling them. Set a
strainer in the sink under cold running water. One by one, bring out
the eggs with your Egg Spoon,
quickly cool under cold water so you can handle them. Tap them on a
hard surface in several places, hard enough to crack the shell, but
not too hard. Peel off the shells, using the cold running water to
help.

Size your Pickle Liquid. Place peeled Eggs in the
sterile jar they will be pickled in. Pour in enough Pickling Liquid
to fill to the top. This should be Vinegar and Water
in a ratio of about 1 cup to 1/3 cup (75% vinegar - presuming
vinegar at 5% acidity).

Pour Pickling Liquid into your pan. Add Spices mix
and bring to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes, then add the
Eggs and bring back to a boil (see Note-4).

Using your egg spoon, place the hot Eggs into their jar,
then pour in the hot Pickling Liquid. Also see
Note-5.

Screw on the lid, but not quite tight, any gasses produced need to
escape.

You can start eating the eggs in 48 hours, if you can wait that
long. Made by this recipe, they will keep for at least a couple of
weeks at a cool room temperature - much longer in the fridge.

NOTES:

Eggs: I favor "Medium" eggs, but
"Large" are fine too. Two dozen Mediums will fit loosely in a 1/2 gallon
jar, Large, a little more snuggly. Piercing the egg shells, using a
needle or an Egg Piercer is
optional. This step has little effect on peelability, but will help
keep eggs with invisible cracks from bursting.

Vinegar: The most common vinegars
for pickling eggs are Distilled White Vinegar and Apple Cider
Vinegar, but Malt Vinegar and other vinegars are also used. They
should be 5% acidic for the amount of water given in this recipe.

Chilis: These can be dried or fresh.
For dried I use 2 tiny but very hot Thai type chilis, cap end removed
(my Black Cobra chili plant ripens them orange rather than red). For
fresh, I'd use red Fresno chilis or red ripe Jalapenos, split in half
and not seeded. Use your own best judgement here.

Scalding: The first batch of pickled
eggs I ever made, I used cider vinegar, and didn't do this final scald.
They were delicious, but could put Ex-lax to shame - immediate, urgent,
but surprisingly gentle. I can not guarantee you would get the same
result, but the scald before packing in the jar prevents this.

Danger: Some older recipes suggest
using a toothpick to poke a deep hole in the boiled egg for better
penetration of the pickling fluid. This has resulted in cases of (very
unpleasant and/or fatal) botulism poisoning. This is due to
Clostridium botulinum bacteria propagating in the yolk (source
US CDC (Center for Disease Control)) There is no botulism danger from
unpoked eggs.

Spices: Just about any possible mix of pickling
spices has been used. This subject is wide open.

Red Beets: The eggs are often colored bright red
by inclusion of beet juice. This is most often done by replacing
the water in the recipe with juice, and possibly a few slices, from
a can of pickled beets, but there are other schemes. The color
penetrates deeply into the eggs.

Turmeric: The eggs can be dyed a bright yellow by
including a teaspoon of Turmeric powder with the spices.

Sugar: Some recipes include sugar, from a couple of
teaspoons to absolutely obscene amounts. Use caution here.

Less Vinegar: Less vinegar and more water makes
wimpy eggs that have to be kept refrigerated as soon as they've
cooled down. They take at least twice as long to be ready to eat.